Attachment for roller cotton gins



July 29 1924.

J. S. TOWNSEND ATTACHMENT FOR ROLLER COTTON GINS Filed Nov. 1, 1923 guuenfo'c JAM-ESZS; TOWNSEND, 0'13 CHARLESTON, fiO'U'IH CiaB-GLINA, DEDICATED, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Applicationfiled November 1, 1923.

Serial No. G?2,214.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883,22 fiTAl. L., 625.)

Totafll whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, JAMES S. TOWNSEND, a citizen of the United States of iimerica, and an employee of the United States De partment of Agriculture, residing at Charleston, South Carolina, have invented new anduseful Attachments for Roller Cotton Gins.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143' (22 Stat. 625) and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its ofiicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or by any citizen of the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The invention relates to attachments for use on rollercotton gins, consisting of a flapper roller, an air current baffle, a screen, and a box-like structure, all of which are placed in position on the cotton gin as here inafter set forth.

One of the objects of the attachments is to straightenthe fiber of the cotton and prevent its folding or tangling. Further objects are as follows: to give a more uniform appearance of the lint cotton throughout the halo than is given by any present system of removing the cotton from the gin roll; to put the cotton in such condition that it can be more easily and economically handled and cleaned at the cotton mills; to eliminate all danger of injury to the cotton gin roller, the fixed knife and the moving knife of the cotton gin by preventing back-lashing; to separate a portion of the motes and cracked seed from the cotton as it comes over the gin roller; and further to eliminate the old method of breaking in a new cotton gin roller, which required from one to three hours before proper operating conditions were obtained.

The cotton gin rollers used at the present time are equipped with a stationary brush adapted to remove the cotton from the cotton gin roller. The disadvantage of equipment of this kind is that there results by its use an accumulation and packing of the cotton on the brush until by its own weight and bulk it falls therefrom in a tangled mass which requires much time and effort in untangling and straightening the cotton fibers and cleaning in preparation, for proper handling in the cotton mills.

The attachments are shown in the accompanyingdrawing which consists of four figures: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of the cotton gin, with parts broken away-to show the application of the invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the flapper roller; Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of one end of the flapper roller; andFig. 1 is a front elevation of the air current baffle.

Referring to the drawing a wooden flapper roller 1 is provided with a metal shaft 2 through the center thereof near the ends 3 of which shaft 2 shoulders 4 are provided, said shaft being held in position by means of journals or boxes 5 supported in the usual way on brackets 6 suitably bolted by means of bolt 7 and nut 7 to the frame 8 of the cotton gin. The flapper roller 1 is equipped with a number of flaps 9, preferably six, of rubber, leather, fabric or other suitable material, projecting preferably three-quarters of an inch from the face of the flapper roll or 1. Each flap is held in position on the flapper roller 1 by means of a wedge shaped batten 10 which is nailed to the flapper roller 1. The roller 1 is set at the back and on a horizontal line with the gin roller 11 and as close to the gin roller 11 as possible without having the flaps 9 touch the gin roller 11. The flapper roller 1 is equipped with a pulley 12 to which motion is imparted by means of a belt 13 and a pulley 1 1, which is attached to shaft 15 actuated in any suitable manner. The flapper roller 1 rotates in the same direction as the cotton gin roller 11. An air current baflle 16 is attached to the frame 8 by means of bolt 17 and nut 18 and extends upwardly to a point just below the horizontal line between the center of shaft 2 of the flapper roller 1 and the center of shaft 19 of the cotton gin roller 11. The upper portion 20 of which baflie 16 is slightly curved away from the cotton gin roller 11, and the extreme upper end 21 of which baffle 16 is positioned as close to the outer edge 22 of the cotton gin roller 11 as possible Without forming contact therewith.

In the operation of my invention in con nection with the cotton gin, seed cotton is fed into the cotton gin and conveyed to i the cotton gin roller 11 Where the seed is separated from the cotton, the seed being knocked out from the fibers of the cotton and dropped down through a seed grid to the low er part of the gin, the cotton being conveyed over the cotton gin roller 11 in its rotary movement to a point opposite the revolving flapper roller 1 where the flaps 9 of the flapper roller'l strike against the cotton which by the aid of the air current created by the revolving flapper roller 1, is deposited into a box-like container 25 beneath the screen 23.

When the flaps 9 strike the cotton a portion of the waste or foreign matter that is commingled therewith is thrown in an upward direction and, together with the force of the air current created by the circular movement of the flapper roller 1 is deposited on a screen 23 suitably held in position above the flapper roller 1; the nearest end 2 1 of which screen 23 to the flapper roller 1 is just forward in a horizontal position of the flaps 9 as they pass the cotton gin roller 11; the air current created by the revolving flapper roller 1 is prevented from passing beneath the cotton gin roller 11 by means of the batfle 16. If the baflie 16 were omitted the air current from the flapper roller 1 would have a tendency to carry the cotton coming over the revolving cotton gin roller 11 underneath said roller 11 and deposit the cotton with the seed or cause back-lashing,

I claim:

An attachment for roller cotton gins, comprising a rotatable flapper roller positioned on a horizontal line with the gin roller, flaps attached to said flapper roller means for rotating said flapper rollerthereby causing said flaps to strike against cotton conveyed over the cotton gin roller and together wit-h the current of air provided by said rotating flapper roller, to throw the cotton in an upward direction, a box positioned below said flapper roller to receive the cotton thrown from said cotton gin roller, a screen superimposed over said flapper roller and adapted to receive waste matter in the cotton thrown from the cotton gin roller, and an air baflle aflixed to thecotton gin below the gin roller adapted to prevent the passage of air currents created by the rotating flapper roller, beneath the gin roller.

JAMES S. TOW NSENDQ 

